Who would have thought just a week ago that so much ink would be spilled on the merits of a figure skater taking to the air and rotating 1,440 degrees before coming back to earth?
That the president of one of the world’s largest countries would weigh in, however obliquely, on the value of a figure skating move? That the word quad would enter the public lexicon and serve as debate fodder in barrooms (or at least chi-chi wine bars)?
Long a hot topic in the skating community, the quad has further polarized the issues of artistry and athleticism, thanks in large part to a certain trash-talking silver medalist and his entourage. And it has brought the oft-criticized new (or newer, as it’s been six years) judging system back to the fore. Greater minds and talents than mine have reflected on the week’s events, but I feel compelled to offer my two cents (in addition to this).
First, this is good for the sport. The fact that talking heads and skating greats can debate the quad and people care enough to listen show that figure skating, despite its annual obituaries, still remains relevant and exciting. It just needed an Olympic year to give the controversy enough juice to enter the public consciousness, instead of remaining a discussion among skating wonks as it had been previously. May not be pretty, but there are worse types of publicity.
Second, this is about the personalities involved, but also transcends them. Evgeny Plushenko stood on the podium in Vancouver Thursday night, projecting major ‘tude that was consistent with his bad boy image. But few would suspect that moments later he would first imply and later outright state to the press that awarding the gold to Evan Lysacek was “not progress; it's a regress,” later comparing the American’s technique to that of a woman skater (our illustration shows what Evgeny might have been imagining). Two-time Olympic silver medal winner and quad pioneer Elvis Stojko later wrote that Evan's skate wasn't "Olympic champion material." Evan, to his credit, has remained the upright sportsman, attributing Evgeny’s comments to emotion surrounding the disappointment and downplaying the schism. I’ve seen and heard at least a half dozen interviews with Evan over the past 24 hours, and he has acquitted himself honorably in all. Kudos to him for attempting to maintain skating’s dignity.
But the kernel of the argument boils down to something Evgeny and his coaches have repeatedly said over the past day, which I generalize here with less bombastic wording: If skating doesn’t push the athletic envelope, it becomes less a sport and more an art.
Some analysts point to the actual scores from Thursday night’s competition, where Evan outscored Evgeny in the “athletic” category (a/k/a executed elements and grades of execution) and they tied in the “artistic” category (factored program components). Well-executed quads provide a 3-4 point advantage over similar combinations with triples, but Evan showed that this can be overcome with high levels of execution throughout an entire program. 
The simple truth is that the new judging system rewards certain things more richly -- ostensibly in support of a clean, unified performance -- and smart skaters structure their programs to optimize the points. Evan loaded the back half of his program with triples, while Evgeny spent the last minute of his with required step sequences, tackling more difficult elements earlier on. One could argue that performing strenuous jumps deeper into a program requires more stamina and athleticism, which is why the ISU Judging System applies a premium in scoring.
Pushing the envelope with more complex moves is admirable, but the object of figure skating competition is to win, not (just) show off. Marathon runners aren’t rewarded for their fastest miles, but for when they cross the finish lines and ahead of whom.
“It’s fine to be the best jumper in the world, but does that mean you’re the best figure skater in the world?” Evan’s coach, Frank Carroll, told journalists. “It’s not figure jumping; it’s figure skating.”
If it’s so bad, then Plushenko should marshal his fellow former Eastern Bloc pals and lobby the ISU to change the rules. Continued on-ice civil disobedience will simply result in continued runner-up status. (Interestingly, during the “Evan vs. Johnny years,” Evan took a slightly different position in advocating more of an X Games style in figure skating as compared to Johnny Weir’s more theatrical approach.)
But that being said, the intent behind Plushenko’s comments does resonate with skating fans. Runners are now faster than they were 20 years ago, baseball players stronger sluggers, and so on. Snowboarder Shaun White’s antics on the half pipe validate this clearly. Why shouldn’t we expect this generation’s skating champions to be better than those from years past. One could argue that an objective judging system provides an excellent barometer across the ages – just score more points than your predecessors. But as athletes’ abilities improve, simply have them perform the same moves with greater and greater precision does seem to be a bit, um, boring.
So how can the ISU move the rules bar higher, providing skaters more expansive ways to compete against each other and push the entire sport? The quad is one example, but there may be other changes that would stretch skaters in the athletic dimension. By providing a range of “bonus” options, the ISU would be providing multiple paths instead of just the “nuclear quad.” As an aside, a New York Times analysis showed that on the whole, including a quad in a program led to poorer total scores, mainly because of skaters’ inability to consistently hit it. You could ultimately see a two-class world where there are skaters with both Evan’s grace and Evgeny’s powerful jumps, and everyone else.
As to the “art vs. sport” comment, skating is a judged, subjective sport and there’s no way out of that argument unless someone finds a way to include a puck. Anyone who doubts that skating is a serious sport just needs to spend a few hours at a practice rink with one of these elite athletes and witness the grace and power and precision required. The best athletes in sports often approach art; would it be insulting to describe as art Michael Jordan defying gravity in his approach to the basket or Usain Bolt moving his limbs faster than any human should?
Fast forward to the 2022 Olympics, and we'll likely be debating the quint.
Johnny Weir announces he will skip 2011-2012 competitive season to focus on professional career. [Johnny Weir Official Site]
Michelle Kwan: role model for the ages. [Chicago Tribune]
